The recent capture of Maryinka by Russian forces has sparked a sharp reaction from both the West and Ukraine. Initially, Kiev denied the incident, but Dmitry Novikov, a member of the State Duma, revealed to Lenta.ru that this reaction is part of an information war.
Novikov emphasizes that there are no strategic military issues at play here. Russian media reported the capture of Maryinka not just for the sake of it, but because the Defense Minister conveyed this information to the Commander-in-Chief. This attracted a lot of attention and prompted the other side to refute Sergey Shoygu’s words.
The politician acknowledges that Ukraine initially denied this fact, possibly hoping to change the situation and regain control of Maryinka. He speculates that this may have been due to a lack of information within the country itself or because the question of Maryinka was contentious. Perhaps Ukraine was hoping to turn the situation around by sending additional military units there. However, it turned out that they did not have enough forces, and they abandoned this idea. Ultimately, the acknowledgment of reality became inevitable.
Thus, the situation with the capture of Maryinka and the reactions to it are elements of an information war, where sides try to control information and influence public opinion, the parliamentarian concluded.
Prior to this, Russian military personnel who liberated Maryinka were awarded for their bravery.
Earlier in Russia, a proposal was made to create a mechanism for integrating captured Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel into civilian life.
